This gleaming expanse of white marble is the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It is particularly gleaming, and spectacularly white, because the $2billion no-expense-spared project entailed shipping in the purest white stone known to man, all the way from Macedonia. Twenty seven other varieties of marble were used in the building, along with many semi-precious stones, such as can be seen in the floral patterns of the courtyard thanks to Google’s excellent high-resolution images. In addition to the 9,000 capacity of the mosque, the courtyard can hold up to 32,000 worshippers. The mosque is also the burial…